A notice of last chance for registration in the NCCP L2 Cycling Core Course. The course will be held over 4 consective Wednesday nights from Jan 16 to Feb 6. For more info or to register please contact Glenn Meeuwisse at glenn@hardwoodhills.ca.

Sad News

The Newmarket Eagles Cycling Club regrets the loss of a very popular club member. On December 31, Percy Shropshire died suddenly and unexpectedly from natural causes. At the age of 54 he was still very active in the sport and was planning a return to competitive cycling, following a one year absence after winning gold in the 2000 Provincial Road Championships.

Percy took up cycling and joined the Eagles over 12 years ago. He had previously achieved success as a soccer player in his native England and after immigrating to Canada, also became an accomplished marathon runner. For all of these twelve or more years, he was a regular participant at club events and was well liked by all who knew him. He will be missed.

He is survived by his wife, Cathy, and two daughters, Amy and Sally.

Gord ClarkeNewmarket Eagles Cycling Club

Custom Team Clothing

If you are interested in ordering club or team clothing through our Giordana program (and want to receive it in time for the 2002 cycling season), then don't delay. Click on the button at the top of the page and fill out the form to receive a free quote.

Fundraising RideCourtesy Curt Harnett

Curt Harnett sent us the following information about a fundraising ride his friend Jeff Rushton is participating in:

As you many of you know, every year I participate in a large event to raise donations for cancer. The last few years the event was riding [spinning] 24 hour solo in the Gears 24-hour SPIN-A-THON here in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Last year we raised over $300,000 for breast cancer from 1,100 participants who rode in teams of up to 24 riders with 15 of us riding it solo.

This coming year I want to do something much bigger and much more significant.

My Dad was around 40 when he got cancer the first of two times. Both times he battled back, survived and today he is a wonderful husband, father, and friend. However, his bout with cancer left a lasting impression on me such that I vowed that when I turned 40 I would do something special to celebrate his life, to celebrate my aunt Carolyn who also had cancer, and most important, to raise money to find a cure.

So . . . this coming year I turn 40. I will fulfill my commitment by taking on two ambitious endurance events:

1. I will bicycle 3,212 miles Coast to Coast from California to Florida in 24 days in January - or around 135 miles average per day! My friend Kevin Wallace will join me for the full trip, and a few other close friends will ride for a few days along the way.

2. Then on February 22nd, I will once again spin solo 24 hours straight in the Gears 4th annual 24 hour SPIN-A-THON.

CHARITIES I AM RIDING FOR

My personal goal through these two events is to raise well over $100,000 in donations to benefit two very worthwhile charities:

1. In Canada, the Trillium Breast Cancer Fund [www.trilliumhealthcentre.com] set up as an education, prevention, detection, and treatment center for the care of breast cancer patients.

2. In United States, the Lance Armstrong Foundation set up by Lance to focus on cancer survivorship and scientific research. For those of you who don't know Lance's amazing story, he battled back from testicular, lung, and brain cancer to win the Tour du France 3 straight years in a row 1999, 2000, and 2001 and is now rated the #1 cyclist in the world. [and a hero of mine!!] - www.laf.org.

I am honored to be riding for such worthy causes and, as with last year, your donations to either or both of the charities should be made out directly to the charities, and mailed to my home address [1525 Royal Oaks Road, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5H 3R6].

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

As individuals:

You can make a personal donation to one or both of the charities, you can help by collecting pledges from other people you know, and last but not least, each day of the 24 day ride and each hour of the 24 hour spin, we will be dedicating the ride to someone who had or who succumbed to cancer. As a special request, I would like you to consider providing us with the story of someone we can dedicate a day and an hour to. If you have someone you would like us to ride for, please give me a call.

As individuals who work for companies

You have the additional opportunity to support us by becoming corporate sponsors to help the events directly and show your corporate commitment to the charities. This can either be a formal sponsorship, a donation, or a donation in kind to help offset our expenses.

Either way just e-mail me or call me if you can make a pledge and at a later date we can collect the actual donations.